You can blame pols when they act in an immoral way, but they are just people. Do you think there is a special breeding program to produce perfidious morons to be political candidates? :-D No, they are just silly people, like the rest of us. If you want to blame someone, blame the lazy, ignorant voters who put them there. People who vote based on name recognition or soundbites are the real problem. Politics has become circus and not the serious business of running the country. And yes, the media plays to that same audience for entertainment value. That's what sells ads.

The same people who rail against "big government" and regulation are the first to ask the government to help them when failed regulation and corporate greed lead to a devastating environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. If voters actually acted on principles... like sustainability and economic justice, there would never have been an oil spill... or a collapse of the banking system... or a war in Iraq.

Bottom line... if you don't like the pols... run for office yourself. If you think you are better than the average bear, go out and campaign for what you believe in. I've done that. You will quickly learn that the majority of voters are thinking in their own perceived short-term selfish best interest rather than the long term interests of the country as a whole. And no, those are NOT the same thing.

bigbearomaha

The same people who rail against "big government" and regulation are the first to ask the government to help them

Patently untrue.

maybe politicians aren't born that way, but the political party process sure draws the worst ones out.

I agree, the voters are to oeasily mislead and/or ignorant to use the voting process for the control method it is meant to be.

The old saw about "if you don't like it, do it yourself" is so old, it has gray hair. holding office was intended to be a service one provided for their community, not a lifetime career. The offices have changed thanks to the efforts of long time sitting elected criminals who have taken what should be an office of service and added so many perks and privileges that most private businesses cannot compete.

You can be the party sucker if you want and take what they give you.

I say that until those same spineless, ignorant voters get some sense and start immediately replacing party hacks with people who sincerely want to serve, we will only continue to have criminals seeking those coveted, plush positions.

The same people who rail against "big government" and regulation are the first to ask the government to help them

maybe politicians aren't born that way, but the political party process sure draws the worst ones out.

I so agree! One reason that it would be interesting to see what campaign finance reform could/would do for the whole process. It's hard to see how a person could stay true and honest through the process and still get elected. I'd also love to see a political campaign without TV again. I wonder how many great people you could get in the process and how much less money would be spent.

Logged

The pedigree of honey Does not concern the bee; A clover, any time, to him Is aristocracy. ---Emily Dickinson

The same people who rail against "big government" and regulation are the first to ask the government to help them when failed regulation and corporate greed lead to a devastating environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

no, they expect the feds to do what the feds are supposed to do. that's not quite the same as sitting on the roof waiting for the feds to pluck you off. because the feds regulate the drilling and shipping, they have the major responsibility for handling the disaster. because the feds regulate things like building sand barricades in the ocean, they are the ones the states must turn to for help.

now...we might ask if the feds should be in charge of any of that, and i'd say no. it should be left to the states. unfortunately, that ship sailed long ago and i don't think we can get it back.

consider how many people are willing and begging to be able to go out and clean beaches, but are kept from it by federal buracracy....OSHA. consider that the gov. of LA had a plan that he was unable to execute because he could not get the bureaucracy off it's backside to give him the green light.

Logged

.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called “the government.” They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....